Indulgent desserts are a quintessential part of holiday entertaining. Do you need a delicious treat to serve for this year’s Christmas celebration? If so, you definitely need to check out these easy homemade caramel candies! They are totally yummy and way less expensive than store bought caramels.

This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals Sugar. All ideas and opinions are my own. In addition, affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Don’t forget to check out the kickoff post, 50+ Ideas to Jump Start Your Holidays, to see the schedule for all of the 12 Days of Holiday Ideas Blog Hop. Plus get inspired for your holiday season with DIY projects, recipes, and games while you’re there!

I seriously can’t get enough caramel deliciousness during the holidays. My mom occasionally surprises us with awesome homemade chocolate caramel candy bars and they’re amazing. Luckily, even when she isn’t in the mood to slave away in the kitchen (and I totally don’t blame her) I can still get my caramel fix with these delicacies.

In addition to being the perfect treat to serve at any holiday party, they’re also a great way to save on stocking stuffers for your family. One batch makes a ton of caramels and they’re the perfect individually wrapped treat to top off those accessories hanging by the fireplace.

Lastly, of course, they also are an easy and budget-friendly gift idea for hostesses and teachers during the holiday season. Now it’s time to find out just how easy they are to make with the step-by-step recipe below.

Homemade Caramel Candies Ingredients

1 Cup Unsalted Butter

4 Cups Light Brown Sugar

2 Cups White Granulated Sugar

2 Cups Light Corn Syrup

1.5 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

3 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Step 1

First, prepare a 9×13 inch glass baking dish by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper. Then set your dish aside.

Step 3

Step 4

Stir all of the ingredients in your pot together over the heat.

Step 5

Continue stirring your mixture constantly while heating until the mixture reaches 240° Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, stir continually for 35 to 40 minutes until large bubbles regularly appear in the mixture.

Step 6

Then remove your mixture from the heat and immediately stir in your vanilla extract.

Continue stirring your mixture constantly while heating until the mixture reaches 240° Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, stir continually for 35 to 40 minutes until large bubbles regularly appear in the mixture.

Then remove your mixture from the heat and immediately stir in your vanilla extract.

Your friends and family are seriously going to love these easy homemade caramel candies for Christmas! Whip up a batch this week and be ready for every celebration this season… actually, you may want to make 2 batches so you have one to enjoy at home and one to give away. Now it’s time to check out the other amazing desserts from my awesome blogging friends at the link up below. Don’t forget that there’s still time to enter our holiday giveaway too. Find all the details you need under the link up!

We have a BIG GIVEAWAY from our Sponsors this year!

Giveaway begins Nov. 8, 2019 and ends Dec. 6, 2019. Winners will be notified by December 13, 2019. Sponsors will ship each prize to the winner. There will be a total of seven winners, one for each prize. Drawing is by random selection using the Rafflecopter widget.

It’s time to get ready for the delicious part of Independence Day: the treats! I’ve rounded up 10 fun 4th of July desserts to serve this year at your celebration. If you need a treat to bring to the BBQ or simply want a sweet surprise for the kiddos, these desserts have you covered!

This year I’m stressing about the 4th of July way more than normal because 2 days after is when we hit the road for Disney! It’s not easy taking care of things for a celebration and making sure 5+ people are ready for a week-long vacation.

I needed some easy and delicious ideas to take the pressure off and that’s exactly what I’ve found. We might even bring some of the leftover desserts with us, because, yum!

Even if you don’t have an epic trip coming right after the 4th, there’s still no reason not to make is easier, right? Pick one or all of these treats to sweeten up your holiday celebration quickly and easily.

If you want a truly epic dessert that comes without the guilt, then this amazing watermelon layer cake is for you! Not only is it delicious, it’s so beautiful that it totally counts as party decor in my book.

You can also take box cake mix and elevate it into something awesome like these swirl cookies. If you want to add a little something extra, turn them into ice cream sandwiches that you can cool down with on the 4th.

Not all treats need to be coma-inducing sugary confections. This super fun and simple trail mix recipe is great for the 4th and also a fantastic snack to give the kiddos. It’s also crazy easy to customize and she has some tips for you to do that on the recipe too!

These delicious cupcakes spice up your 4th of July celebration figuratively and literally. With hot cinnamon candies mixed with sweet cake and frosting, your guest will be you to make these babies every year.

Get your celebration started with a bang when you whip out one of these fun 4th of July desserts to serve this year! Whether your family is headed to a pitch-in or have a simple celebration at home, you can’t go wrong with enjoying one of these sweet treats.

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How many times have you bought the stuff to make a cake and then procrastinated about making it only to end up buying one from the store? Creating a beautiful cake seems intimidating and we put it off because of that. Guess what! It isn’t as hard as you think. Find out how to make a half sphere beach ball cake easily for your upcoming summer party with this simple tutorial.

Store bought cakes are delicious, don’t get me wrong. When you’re trying to save money, though, the savings of making a cake yourself is so worth it. A box cake mix and a couple of container of icing are roughly $6.00. Compare that with the $20-$30 of a store bought cake with a few plastic baubles on it. No thank you.

Last weekend was my mom’s birthday and I wanted to give her a super special cake. She loves the beach and since her birthday falls in the summer, I thought this beach ball cake would be the perfect idea. Even better, it’s super easy to make so I was able to get it made and decorated even with tiny tyrants running around my house.

Note:

You may need to invest in a ball cake pan but the possibilities of fun cakes you can make with it are so endless that it’s totally worth it. Don’t be fooled into thinking it always has to be a sports ball. I’ve used it to make a ball of yarn for a Lalaloopsy party and animal heads for kids parties. Seriously, it’s one of the best cake pan investments.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Bake your cake at 350° Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until cooked through. Use a toothpick in the center of the cake to check if it’s baked. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. If not, continue cooking in 2-3 minute increments until it is. Use a fresh toothpick each time you check your cake.

Step 4

After the cake is baked, flip it onto a cooling rack and let cool.

Step 5

Once your cake is cooled, place it on a plate and toss in the freezer for about an hour.

Step 6

Next, pull your cake out of the freezer and in half at the middle of the dome.

Step 7

Spread a layer of icing on the bottom piece and then top with the remaining half of cake.

Step 8

Then spread a layer of icing over the entire cake. This is not a crumb coat so don’t be stingy. I used an entire container of vanilla icing to completely cover the cake.

Step 9

Again, pop the iced cake back into the freezer. It it easier to layer when it’s frozen because you’re using store bought icing.

Step 10

Once the icing on your cake is frozen, pull it from the freezer and divide your 2nd container of icing in half. Reserve 1 half to keep the original color. Divide the remaining half into thirds in separate small bowls.

Step 11

Color one of each bowl of icing teal, violet, and yellow.

Step 12

Next, add your teal icing to a small resealable sandwich bag, press out the air, and cut off the tip.

Step 13

Pipe a small circle in the top center of your cake to act as a guide and then pipe one section of your beach ball teal as pictured.

Step 14

After you pipe on the icing, smooth and spread it with a small rubber spatula.

Step 15

Repeat steps 12 and 14 with your remaining 2 colors on your beach ball. Make sure to leave a white/off-white section in between each color.

Step 16

Once your colored sections are on the beach ball, fill in the remaining sections with the additional white icing (reserve 2-3 tbsp of white). Adding the colors on top of your cake makes the icing levels uneven which is why you want to fill in the white sections with additional icing.

Step 17

Lastly, color the 2 tablespoons of icing you saved black and pipe it over the circle at the top of your beach ball.

Step 18

Again, pop your iced cake into the freezer and leave it there until you’re ready to serve or transport.

Step 19

Once you’re ready to serve or transport, place your frozen cake on a tray. Place a dollop of leftover icing on the tray before putting your cake on. This will help hold the cake in place.

Tip:

If you are transporting your cake, place it on a the lid to a large plastic bowl. Then when you’re ready to move it, snap the bowl in place on the lid to protect the cake during transport.

Step 20

Lastly, create the sand around your beach ball cake by emptying a sleeve of shortbread cookies into a gallon sized resealable bag and crush them up with the flat side of a meat tenderizing hammer. You can also use a food processor to crumble the cookies but I really enjoy beating the cookies with a hammer. It’s cathartic.

Step 21

Spread your crushed up cookies around the edge of your cake and you’re done.

This half sphere beach ball cake is so much fun and absolutely perfect for your summer celebration. Whether you’re throwing a pool party or a summer birthday, this cake is sure to be a hit. No one has to know how totally easy it is to make.